What does it do?
The Tolerans CompactStitch is an inline ribbon stitcher designed for small-scale printing operations that haven’t until now been able to incorporate an inline stitcher. The machine is designed for stitching newspapers, inserts and commercial print.

What is its USP?
The CompactStitch is, according to Tolerans, half the size of a traditional stitcher. The company says the machine’s size and 45kg weight means that it can be installed where there hasn’t been enough space for a stitcher before, and that it is 40% cheaper than the average ribbon stitcher. Tolerans’ director of R&D and design Tomas Annerstedt, says that larger stitchers often require a company’s folder to be modified, which can be a time consuming and costly process. He says the CompactStitch, by contrast, is made to sit inline with all the different folder types and that makes installation easier – so much so that it can often be installed by the agents. "That’s a big selling point and it opens up a completely new market for us," he says.

How does it work?
The CompactStitch uses very similar technology to the Tolerans Speedliner stitching systems, says Annerstedt. The machine incorporates one wire spool for each staple in the product, with most products normally requiring two. The spools are fed into the machine where they are cut and moulded into U-shaped staples, pushed through the paper and closed by a die on the opposite cylinder. Unlike the normal- sized Speedliner, however, the stitching cylinders in the CompactStitch revolve two laps for each copy, enabling Tolerans to reduce the size of the machine.

When was it launched and what market was it aimed at?
The CompactSitch was launched in June and, with a top speed of 60,000 copies per hour compared with the Speedliner’s 120,000, is designed for customers with slower presses. The company expects that its main market will be Asia, particularly India and China. "There are a lot of small print houses with smaller and slower presses in India and China," says Annerstedt. "If you compare an Indian manufacturer with limited speed possibilities to a fully fledged Manroland press for example they are completely different. They both make newspapers but one is very sophisticated whereas the Indian manufacturer has a much simpler press. The CompactStitch is aimed at these types of presses." While targeted at these markets, though, Tolerans is optimistic that there may be many UK and US printers that see an opportunity for this type of product also.

How easy is it to use?
To ensure their product is compatible with their target market, Tolerans has also reduced the servo-driven control system on the CompactStitch. "On the full-scale stitcher we have a lot of features that keep track on where the stitcher is positioned in relation to the folder for instance, because in many cases you can actually move the stitcher to different positions. Whereas the full-scale stitcher comes with lots of technical documentation, the CompactStitch only has a small control panel with basic buttons to perform simple functions like start and stop."

What training is available?
Tolerans provides training for all operators of the CompactStitch which, Annerstedt says, usually only takes a couple of hours. The company also offers maintenance training that can be carried out at the customer’s premises or at Tolerans’ training centre in Stockholm.

What service support is available?
Tolerans has a support line that customers can call for assistance over the phone or for one of Toleran’s agents to be sent out to deal with any maintenance issues. The company hopes, however, that its wear and spare parts programme will enable its customers to deal with most issues themselves. The programme includes a system that counts how many revolutions the stitcher has performed and advises on which parts should be changed when. The CompactStitch is also designed so that users can easily change these spare parts. "We think of it as like a printer cartridge for a normal printer," says Annerstedt. "You can take bits out like a cassette and put them back in without losing their positions. You don’t need to be a highly skilled service and maintenance engineer to take care of the machine."

What are its sales targets?
Annerstedt says that the company hope to sell at least 20 CompactStitches a year. "I think that’s a reasonable figure if we can get the sales approach right," he says. As it has only just been released, there are no current users of the system.

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SPECIFICATIONS
Staple width 14mm
Wire guage (diameter) 0.5mm
Cut-off length 560-700mm
Max speed 60,000 copies/hour
Weight 45kg
Size 400x400x800mm (WxDxH)
Price around €96,000  (£84,000)
Contact Tolerans +46 8 448 7030 www.tolerans.com

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ALTERNATIVES
MotterStitch Standard Single Round high-speed stitcher
US company MotterStitch supplies bespoke inline stitching units to the UK. They build both ribbon stitchers for straight and skip stitch modes and cylinder stitchers that operate in straight, collect and double collect modes. Stitching is done at full press speeds across the web for tabloid type products.
Staple width 12mm, 16mm
Wire gauge 0.5mm, 0.55mm,  0.6mm, 0.67 mm
Cut-off length 533mm or greater
Max speed 80,000-100,000 copies/hour
Weight 100kg
Size 600x400x1,000mm
Price from $83,000 (£52,000)
Contact Motterstitch +1 401 364 6061 www.motterstitch.com